Mindanao peace summit tackles referendum

Some 500 indigenous and Bangsamoro people and Mindanao settlers are gathered at the Southern Christian College in Midsayap, North Cotabato for the four-day Second Mindanao People’s Peace Summit to discuss and launch a massive campaign for the government to hold a United Nations-supervised referendum on political options in Muslim Mindanao.

The summit kicked off yesterday, with Vice President Teofisto Guingona delivering the keynote speech. The closing rites’ speaker will be Secretary Jesus Dureza, presidential assistant for Mindanao, who will represent President Arroyo.

The summit will discuss and hopefully approve a proposal for the government to hold a referendum in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and contiguous areas occupied predominantly by Muslims.

According to Al Senturias, chairman of the Mindanao People’s Peace Movement which is co-sponsoring the summit, the Bangsamoro people will be asked if they wish to remain with the Philippines as an autonomous or federal state or to constitute an entirely separate and independent Bangsamoro state.

The other speakers are Ambassador for Human Rights of the Republic of Korea Dr. Kyung Seo Park, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., former Agrarian Reform Secretary Horacio Morales Jr., Prof. Ruffa Cagoco-Guliam, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Commissioner Edtami Mansayagan, and Dean Carmen Abubakar of the UP Institute of Islamic Studies.

Also speaking on the three political options of the Bangsamoro people are ARMM Gov. Parouk Hussin, Mayor Muslimin Sema and Ustadz Ibrahim Murchi, on autonomy; Dr. Jose Abueva and Pimentel, on federalism; and Prof. Abhoud Syed Lingga, on an independent Bangsamoro state.

Co-sponsors of the summit are the Southern Christian College and the Rotary Club of Midsayap.